Management of the Fellowship

The Fellowship is managed by a Council of 12 members, plus a President, all of whom are elected by the membership.

Gillian Prager (nee Biggs) (President) (retiring in 2020)

Gillian Prager trained as a registered nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, following teaching for VSO in the South Pacific, which influenced her decision to become a nurse. Following a career in haematology and cardiology Gill specialized in interventional radiology in the 1980’s, as a sister at St Thomas’ Hospital, co-founding a Specialist Nurse group at the RCN. Gill had worked as a sister at King Edward V11 Hospital for Officers in London during which time she toured with the European Community Youth Orchestra as a clinician and chaperone! She moved into the commercial sector as Manager for an American Radiology company before taking time out to get married and raise her family. (Read more)

Christine Taylor did her general and intensive care training at St Thomas’ and worked as a Charge Nurse on Cheselden . She trained as a midwife in Gloucester and returned to London to take up Ward Sister positions in a number of London teaching hospitals. Christine has experience in commissioning services and hospitals, setting and monitoring quality standards and managing in a variety of NHS settings as well as Local Government. She has an MSc in Clinical Nursing and a Doctorate in Business Administration. Her DBA explored the development of reflective practitioners within professional doctoral programmes.

Christine is married with two “children” Clare (24) and Michael (22). She currently works as a Registrar for Births Deaths and Marriages and provides voluntary assistance to the Derby Diocese; supporting mission action planning as a facilitator and minister development as an independent reviewer.

Jo Jacques (Honorary Treasurer) (retiring in 2019)

After leaving St Thomas, Jo Jacques worked in Germany with the British Army and then in Guildford on the district and as an agency nurse.

She subsequently moved into chaplaincy initially in mental health and general hospital chaplaincy, then in prisons and finally, in a school for boys with specific learning difficulties. Having recently retired after twenty years in chaplaincy, she is combining trustee of The Nightingale Fellowship with being a foundation governor of a school for children with complex learning and behavioural issues.
She has an MA in Pastoral Studies, and gained a further MA in Contemporary Ethics in 2015 with a dissertation on the ethics of being retired. She is married with three adult children and three grandchildren.

Hilary Brian (nee Wilson) (retiring in 2019)

Hilary Brian left St Thomas’ in 1977 and carried out a variety of roles while moving many times with her husband in the RAF. She now lives in Canterbury and works as an IT Clinical Specialist. She is a keen Rotarian and worked in India on the Polio eradication programme.

Shona Cornthwaite (nee Morrison) (retiring in 2020)

Shona Cornthwaite is currently employed in a specialist role within children’s safeguarding following many years’ experience as a health visitor working in London, Leicester and Lancashire. On leaving St Thomas’ Hospital she completed her sick children’s nursing at Guy’s, after which she travelled to and within Australia where she also worked in a Special Care Baby Unit. When she returned to London she completed my health visiting training and worked in Lambeth prior to undertaking a BSc in Social Policy and Administration at The London School of Economics and then parenthood. Whilst her children were still young, and following a move to Lancashire where she practiced health visiting part time, she completed a MA in Health Services Management. Shona is married to Peter and their two children are now young adults studying and living away from home, giving them more time to enjoy their hobby of fell walking in The Lakes.

Sarah-Jo Davies (nee Hill) (retiring in 2020)

Formerly a School Nurse, Sarah-Jo has been involved in managing Governance and Quality at a BUPA hospital, worked for the Youth Offending Service and been part of the management team of a Children & Family Centre. A long standing School Governor and Freeman of the City of London she currently works for a Children’s Charity assisting families with their parenting issues.

Maddie Blackburn (retiring in 2018)

Maddie Blackburn retired as Director of Care Development at Together for Short Lives, the national children’s and young people’s palliative care charity in July 2012. She is currently a PhD student at the Open University carrying out research into the Sexuality of Life-Limited young adults in the UK. With her husband, they regularly conduct tours of Embassy Court in Brighton, a grade two modernist building, designed by Wells Coates, Engineer. These are carried out on behalf of the Embassy Court Directors for the Brighton Fringe Festival and English Heritage. Maddie is married, has two adult children, one grandchild and a noisy Siamese cat.

Pauleene Hammett (nee Brown) (retiring in 2018)

Pauleene Hammett trained as a nurse and a midwife at St Thomas’ and began teaching Midwifery in 1977.For the last 10 years of her career she was Head of Midwifery education at King’s College London until retiring in 2007 to nurse her husband who was unfortunately terminally ill. She has two grown up sons and spends her time undertaking charity work, pastoral care and meeting up with friends.

Elizabeth Wiacek (nee Elsom) (retiring in 2018)

Liz spent several years working in urology and then District Nursing before moving onto becoming involved in nurse education. She is currently a Practice Tutor and lecturer for The Open University and has responsibility for the clinical education side of the training for pre-registration student nurses. Liz works with several Trusts in the east of England to ensure the clinical aspect of student nurse training remains high.

Helen Sanders (nee Morris) (retiring in 2019)

Following a diverse nursing career working in the NHS, the private sector and a short career commission in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service, Helen currently works part time (having semi-retired) as a Staff Nurse in a very well equipped small community hospital. Her primary role is that of a theatre nurse but she also covers Ophthalmology Outpatients. It is very rewarding to see patients receiving high quality holistic care in a hospital setting close to their home.

Helen is married with two adult sons and lives in Mid Wales. Since “retiring” she has more time for her family, garden, singing and learning Italian! Helen is a member of Council and also serves on the Benevolent Fund Advisory Committee.

Admin Support for the Council

Fiona Geiger (Editor)

Fiona Geiger is currently working as a Matron in the Division of Surgery at Manchester Royal Infirmary. She was a ward sister on Wardroper Ward at St Thomas’ Hospital from 1986 – 1991. She is married to Philip and has two teenage boys – Richard and Matthew.

Patsy Dale (Sub Editor)

Patsy is the Sub-Editor and assists Fiona Geiger the Honorary Editor in producing the Nightingale Fellowship journals twice a year.

Mia Duddridge (Clerk to the Trustees/Administrator)

Mia and the team are the administrators who handle all the day to day enquiries for the Fellowship and its members, at their offices in Tetbury, Gloucestershire.

Vice Presidents of the Nightingale Fellowship

Sir Jonathan Asbridge

Past President of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and Government ‘Patients Champion’ for A&E services. Now Director of Clinicenta.

Elizabeth Browse MBE

Although officially retiring in 2010, she is very much enjoying working part time with the colorectal cancer nurse specialist team at St Thomas’.

Elizabeth Jenkins FRCN (nee Winder)

Liz completed her 4th year, and got her Nightingale badge in 1965, and went to Guy’s to work in the renal unit as sister and nursing officer until 1984.

In 1986 she was appointed Director of Nursing at St Thomas’, and the following year became the hospital first Unit General Manager. She finished my nursing career as Assistant General Secretary at The Royal College of Nursing.

In 1986 Liz was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing.

Katie Scales

Katie was awarded her Nightingale badge in 1982 and enjoyed a successful and rewarding career in critical care nursing and education. Having completed her neonatal ITU course at UCH and her adult ITU course at St Thomas’ she joined the Nightingale School as Clinical Teacher for the ITU course on Mead ward and later worked as a lecturer in intensive care nursing and physiology at the Nightingale Institute. In 2000 Katie became one of the first Consultant Nurses in the UK when she was appointed Consultant Nurse in Critical Care at Charing Cross Hospital, later Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, a role she held until her retirement in 2016. Katie worked for many years as a member of the medical team for Chain of Hope, a children’s charity providing cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology in developing countries. Katie was a founding board member of NIVAS and provides expert advice on infusion therapy to the MHRA. Katie is widely published and works as an expert witness for IV therapy and critical care, she is also a member of the Advisory Board for RCNi and Nursing Standard magazine. Katie was elected to the Council of the Nightingale Fellowship in 2006 and was Honorary Secretary to the Fellowship from 2012 – 2015.

Sue Sheridan, OBE (nee Norman)

Sue Sheridan retired as Chief Executive of the UKCC (now NMC) in 2002 since when she has been President of National Association of Theatre Nurses (now AfPP), a Trustee of Burdett Trust for Nursing and chaired a supported housing charity. She recently stood down as Chair of the Florence Nightingale Museum Trust Board and having enjoyed nine years as President of the Fellowship is now focussing on a different set of interests.

Sue was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2014, as President of the Nightingale Fellowship, for her Services to Nursing.

Past Chief Nurse to West Lambeth Health Authority and past President of the Nightingale Fellowship.

Roisin Tierney, MVO

Past Nursing Officer of Mead (ITU) and Phipps Respiratory Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital, followed by Senior Nurse post at Guys. Now employed in the Royal Household at St James’s Palace. Honorary Treasurer of the Fellowship for 13 years until 2008.

Roisin worked at St Thomas’ from 1960 – 1983. Roisin also worked for many years in the Nightingale Office at St Thomas’, until ‘retiring’ in 2009.

Ros Villiers-Boddington (nee Plant)

Ros worked in the NHS as a Clinical Teacher and Tutor in the Nightingale School, followed by roles in staff, team and leadership development in large Acute Trusts and at Regional and National level. Her last post was Associate Director of the National Clinical Governance Support Team. She was Honorary Treasurer of the Fellowship from 2008 – 2014. Ros now undertakes part time consulting work in the field of personal and team development and is a volunteer speaker for Dogs for the Disabled.

Honorary Vice-Presidents

Professor Helen McCutcheon

Past Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London

Helen McCutcheon is currently working at the School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work, at the University of Queensland, Australia.

Dame Eileen Sills, DBE

Eileen Sills trained in Stockport and qualified as a registered nurse in 1983, she held a number of post registration positions within both general and Accident & Emergency Medicine, before moving to London in 1985 where she took up her first senior position as a Sister in a busy A&E department at North Middlesex Hospital. After 3 years she took up a position as a clinical tutor for the ENB Accident & Emergency Course but after 18 months took the decision to return to clinical practice. (Read more)